Quirky prom to rock Bluebird

Boxcar Books and Community Center will present the sixth annual Rock ‘n’ Roll Prom 2010: A Space Oddity at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Bluebird Nightclub.

Tickets are $8 for anyone 21 or older at the door, and all profits will be split between Boxcar and the Midwest Pages to Prisoners Project.

“We’re sister organizations and have been in a relationship for a long time with volunteers putting a lot of time in at both,” said Steven Stothard, Boxcar Books general coordinator and prom coordinator. “But we’re housed in different locations and Rock ‘n’ Roll Prom is a great time to party together.”

The prom will be packed with festivities, including a costume contest, cover bands of Weezer, Violent Femmes, New Order and Guided By Voices, and local DJ Action Jackson.

“From its inception, the general theme of Rock ‘n’ Roll Prom has been as an alternative prom for everyone that might have felt alienated or like an outcast at their actual high school prom,” Stothard said. “Each year, we really try our best to create themes that encourage people to interpret it however they want and to get creative with it themselves.”

Last year’s theme, Stothard said, was “Talk Nerdy to Me,” and previous years’ themes included “Over the Rainbow” and “Under the Sea.”

“We try to pick a theme that would hopefully never be used for a real high school prom,” said Abbey Friedman, Boxcar Books buyer and prom co-organizer. “My high school prom theme was ‘Bright Lights, Big City.’ Boring! We get really cheesy and just really go crazy with it.”

Each year brings new bands and artists, but there are several Rock ‘n’ Roll Prom veterans, including several Secretly Canadian bands that comprise the members of each cover band. Members of Defiance, Ohio, Kentucky Nightmare and Alexander the Great, among others, will also be performing.

“Every year, different musicians and bands in town put together really great cover bands for one night only, and there really are too many to mention,” Stothard said.

The Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls of Bloomington’s own Roller Derby League will be judging the five best costumes. Stothard said in the past, people have gone crazy with their costumes, dressing as futuristic robots, creepy space creatures, space pirates, post-apocalyptic road warriors — and frequently in gender-bending drag.

“Prom-goers should wear anything they want,” Friedman said. “We always have a mix of over the top costumes, standard formal prom wear and street clothes. All are acceptable, but of course we encourage and appreciate crazy costumes.”